Pro Sports

Rockies' Jhoulys Chacin, pitching with heavy heart, loses to Orioles

Jhoulys Chacin of the Colorado Rockies pitches during a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. (Mitchell Layton, Getty Images)

BALTIMORE — The circles under the eyes, the halting speech, there was no escaping how taxing Sunday was for Jhoulys Chacin. He long ago earned his teammates' respect for the way he competes, but he had never been through anything like this.

Late Saturday night, just hours before his start in the Rockies' 7-2 loss to the Orioles, the 25-year-old learned of his grandmother's passing.

"They asked me, and I told them I really wanted to pitch. I wanted to do my best for the team, but it was tough," said Chacin, who looked like he hadn't slept much. "I was close to her."

Maria Alvarez loved baseball. With both of Chacin's parents working, she took Jhoulys to tournaments throughout Venezuela and Latin America as a boy. She was thrilled to see him pitch in winterball again last November. In her 70s, Alvarez had a stroke in May, and never fully recovered. Chacin spent the all-star break with her, knowing that their time together was short.

He will travel to Maracaibo, Venezuela on Monday to be with his family, and insisted he will make his next start Friday in Miami.

"I need to go and support my mom," Chacin said. "She's the one who is really affected."

Under the circumstances, Chacin's outing was admirable. He allowed more than two runs for the first time in a road start this season. Yet, he gave the Rockies a chance, his outing spoiled by a sweeping slider that Adam Jones deposited for his 25th home run.

"I don't know if I would have been out there. His grandma was like a second mom to him," catcher Yorvit Torrealba said. "I went through something similar in (2005), and it's not easy to focus because it's always on your mind."

A potential rally to secure the Rockies' first road series win since July 10 was undermined by the bullpen and the lineup's inability to adjust to Scott Feldman's curveball. The Rockies' relievers had posted a 1.26 ERA over the previous 10 days. But Brian Roberts delivered a two-run single off left-hander Josh Outman in the seventh inning.

Baltimore Orioles' Ryan Flaherty slides into third against Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, left, on a single by Alexi Casilla. (Nick Wass, The Associated Press)

Roberts ran the count full as Jones stole second base, leaving runners at second and third. Manager Walt Weiss considered walking Roberts, but decided against it given the count. Chris Davis put the game out of reach with his 45th home run.

"I was aggressive in the zone today," Davis said.

The Rockies pulled to within a run in the seventh. Todd Helton hit his 582nd double, one shy of Hall of Famer Robin Yount for 17th on the all-time list. He scored on Charlie Blackmon's liner to right field, but reliever Tommy Hunter doused the rally.

For Chacin, it was a difficult ending to a challenging day.

"I was close to my grandma," Chacin said. "She was always there for me."

Jeff Manship was disgusted by his last outing. He was drummed by the Padres, and worse, he said, he failed to make in-game adjustments. Manship gets another opportunity, but the leash is shrinking. In his lone road outing, the right-hander gave the Rockies an opportunity to win against the Mets. Manship, a former Notre Dame star, could be auditioning for a long relief role in spring training next season. Ethan Martin has been crushed this month, allowing four home runs in 14-plus innings. Opponents are hitting .295 against him.